What happens to plastic waste collected by Cotswold District Council?

Anne Cox
4 hours ago
2 min read

We asked Costwold District Council (CDC) for information on what proportion of the plastic waste collected by CDC goes to incineration; landfill in the UK; or export to foreign countries for landfill / incineration and what proportion is recycled for re-use in other products. While we didn't receive any numbers, their answer was that unless non acceptable plastic is put in the white bags, all plastic waste is sent for recycling and none goes to landfill. Their response also highlighted that our plastic recycling is very reliant on processing plants in other countries.

Thank you to John Turton, Founder of Sustain Cotswolds, for reviewing CDC's response and providing guidance on recycling for this article.

Lifting the lid on Cotswold District's plastic recycling processes

According to the response to our freedom of information request to Cotswold District Council, all correctly presented plastic collected from residents is sorted and sent for recycling.

Netherlands, Turkey and USA recycle much of our plastics

At Thamesdown Recycling, HDPE milk bottles are separated and recycled in the UK and USA. Other plastics, including PET bottles, food trays and yoghurt pots, are sorted into mixed grades and processed at specialist facilities in Turkey and across Europe. Larger rigid plastic items are recycled in the Netherlands, while mixed plastic films are sent to Turkey, where advanced processes separate the different plastic types for recycling. The Council confirms that, provided residents only place accepted recyclable plastics in their recycling bins, every material has a recovery destination and is diverted from landfill.

Recycling depends on all of us doing our bit

CDC's response reminds us that we have an important role in ensuring as much of our home waste as possible is recycled.

Why recycle?

Plastic is problematic but it has become an essential part of everyday life and recycling it correctly helps conserve resources and reduce carbon emissions. Recycling plastic typically cuts carbon emissions by 50–85% compared with making new plastic from oil and gas, with the greatest environmental benefits achieved when high-quality plastics are collected, sorted and recycled close to where they are used.

What types of plastics can be recycled?

For homes in Tetbury and across the Cotswold District, plastic recycling goes in our white recycling bag.

Acceptable In our White Recycling Bags: plastic bottles, tubs, punnets, pots, trays and cartons (such as Tetra Pak) (as well as tins, cans, empty aerosols and clean foil)

Not Acceptable in the White Bags: other metal objects; crisp packets; paper coffee/ beverage cups; plastic film/ wrappers/bags’ ; pet food pouches

For more details on recycling, check out CDC's recycling guide.

CDC recycling guide

A deep dive into plastics and recycling

The most common plastics used in the UK are:

PET (drink bottles)
HDPE (milk and detergent bottles)
LDPE (carrier bags and plastic film)
PP (yoghurt pots and food containers).

Most modern recycling centres can sort and recycle PET, HDPE and increasing amounts of PP and LDPE using optical scanners, air jets and manual quality checks.

Clear PET, often called PET Natural, is the most valuable because it can be recycled into new clear bottles.

Coloured PET Jazz is also recycled but usually becomes fibres, strapping or darker packaging.

PVC and polystyrene are more difficult to recycle and are accepted less widely.